A Place To Call Home
by Calico
Summary: Something is wrong with Toothless and Hiccup is going to do whatever it takes to make it right.
1. Chapter 1

6/5/10

_**A Place To Call Home**_

Summary: Something is wrong with Toothless and Hiccup is going to do whatever it takes to make it right.

Disclaimer: All rights to "How To Train Your Dragon" belong to DreamWorks and Cressida Cowell; I own nothing except an awesome Toothless plushie.

Chapter 1

Hiccup woke up slowly. He blinked and then rubbed his eyes and then blinked again.

Something was wrong.

He lifted himself up on one elbow and surveyed the small, dark room, corner to corner. Trunk (opened, furs falling out), chair (with the "breast" hat dangling off the back), false leg (leaning against the wall), axe (slightly dusty from disuse). He snapped up straight as he realized that for the first time in five years he'd woken naturally without a snorting dragon prodding him, and his heart thudded in his chest anxiously.

Throwing off the bedcovers he leapt out of bed and hopped expertly on his right leg as he snatched his clothes from the trunk followed by the springy mechanical contraption, which he forced himself to carefully attach to the stump of his left leg. Experience had taught him mercilessly not to let that chore be done haphazardly. There was nothing worse than trotting along and finding yourself face-first in the mud in front of half the village because you didn't secure your leg.

Standing firmly on two legs and clothes thrown on he rushed to the top of the stairs. "Toothless?" he called out. Never had a morning gone by since returning from the dragons' nest had Toothless failed to awaken Hiccup to remind him about breakfast or beg for an early-morning flight, yet here he was dawn long broken and no dragon.

Holding on to the wall for stability, the tall, gangly young man half shuffled half hopped down the carved-out log, ducking his head without thought to avoid the spot where the lower level ceiling and the stairs intersected. A fire was blazing in the hearth and the silhouette of Stoick the Vast pushed at the flaming logs beneath a steaming cauldron.

"Dad!" Hiccup called out. "Have you seen - ?" Before he'd even finished the larger Viking had removed the poker and pointed it to his right. Turning his head, Hiccup spotted his missing dragon, who was curled up in front of the door. As Hiccup looked at him, Toothless drew in a large breath and let it out as a groaning sigh. "Toothless!" Hiccup cried and rushed over, dropping to his knees at his friend's side. His hands touched the ebony dragon all over, flying from his head to his neck to his back, caressing the hardened scales as if they were the softest fur. "Are you hurt? Sick? What's the matter, bud?" His stomach lurched unpleasantly at the quiet, still dragon, and his swallowed his fears audibly.

" He's not hurt. Or sick," Stoick rumbled from behind.

"But?" Hiccup didn't know quite what to say. "Do you know what's wrong with him?"

The ginger-haired Viking shrugged, moving the mountain of furs that covered his form. He'd scooped the morning's gruel into a bowl and settled down at the table to eat. Using his spoon for emphasis he said, "The sum of my dragon knowledge involves the most efficient way to remove the head without getting singed."

"Dad!" Hiccup hissed, but if Toothless understood the comment he made no effort to react. The large amber eyes were closed and his ears hung limply to their sides instead of being up and alert. Hiccup appreciated far more than words could express his father's willingness to allow dragons and Vikings to live peacefully together in Berk; that had to take a huge amount of humility. But letting a dragon live under his own roof? Especially a rambunctious one like Toothless? Life hadn't been easy, but they'd settled into an accord of their own. Yet his father had ingrained prejudice against dragons that was near impossible to let go.

Clearing his throat, Stoic continued. "About a year before your mother and I were married, she came down with a powerful sickness. The elder declared she be isolated in her house to keep it away from the village. Only her mother, grandmother, and the elder were allowed to see her." Hiccup looked at his father strangely. Stoick hadn't spoken of his late wife in…well it just wasn't a common occurrence. The older Viking continued, "Every day I sat outside her door hoping that would be the day they'd let me see her. Every day, for six weeks," he gestured towards Toothless with his spoon, "that's exactly how I looked. And felt." Stoick shifted in his seat, and then motioned for Hiccup to come closer.

Hesitant to leave his friend, Hiccup slowly stood and walked over to his father, who said in a hushed voice, "Boy, you know that dragon is not like the rest of them."

"What do you mean?"

"The others? They're all here because they choose to be." Hiccup started to protest that Toothless wanted to be here, but he was summarily shushed. "He…Toothless adores you, and would never willingly leave you." He pursed his lips, no doubt remembering trying to get both the unconscious boy and the injured dragon back to Berk without parting them. When he continued his voice was low and gentle. "But the others, Hiccup, they come and go as they please. They can go off and do whatever it is that dragons need to do. Your dragon depends upon you for everything. I know, and _he knows_, that you take that responsibility very seriously, but that's going to take a toll on anyone, beast or man."

Hiccup swallowed uncomfortably as acrid bile crept up his throat. He thought he'd long ago resolved his thirteen-year-old self's guilt over injuring the Night Fury in a reckless attempt to be a "true" Viking. But maybe like missing tail fins, that wound could never be healed. "What can I do?"

Stoick shrugged. "Not a clue. This bond you've made, it's unique, Hiccup, which means you need to figure out what you're doing as you go along. Now, get some breakfast. I'll see some meat on those bones yet!" he said as he gave his son a hearty slap on the arm.

* * *

Hiccup had shoveled the warm gruel into his mouth without tasting it, his eyes never leaving the melancholy dragon by the door. Tossing the bowl into a pile of dirty dishes that he should have already cleaned, he called a quick farewell over his shoulder, grabbed his pack along with the saddle and his riding harness, and opened the door. Toothless just lay there looking at him at first, but with a little encouragement, the dragon heaved himself onto his feet and followed Hiccup out at a sedate pace. There was already a basket of fish waiting for them outside, thanks to the early-rising fishermen who'd taken it upon themselves to keep the village dragons happy: it had became apparent quickly that dragons were excellent at keeping any rivals clear of their favorite fishing spots. Hiccup dropped his gear to lug the basket over to Toothless.

"Here, buddy, how about some nice cod to brighten your spirits?" he asked hopefully, holding out the freshly caught fish.

Toothless, sniffed at it noncommittally, then gently took it into his mouth, giving it a cursory bite before swallowing, all the while regarding Hiccup with inscrutable amber eyes. The entire experience lacked the normal gusto that the dragon usually had for eating. Hiccup sighed and upended the basket so Toothless could munch on the rest of his breakfast unhindered. While Toothless ate Hiccup strapped on the saddle and his own harness, finishing off by swinging his pack onto his back. Inside he'd stowed some standard rations - dried beef and bread, a canteen of water - and other essential survival supplies like flint and tinder, a fishing line, and extra skins. Stoick had insisted on all the kids carrying these packs when they started flying if they went farther than Berk proper in case some emergency came up. Finally Hiccup checked the bright red tailfin to make sure it was secured properly. "Does this feel ok, Toothless?" he asked, and the tail thumped an affirmative on the ground.

Making his way around to the front, Hiccup patted the dragon's head tenderly as he finished off the fish. "I know something's wrong, and we're going to fix it." Toothless turned his head towards the young man, nudging Hiccup's neck and blowing puffs of fishy-smelling air into his ear. Hiccup had long ago figured out this was a gesture of affection, and he reciprocated by throwing his arms around the dragon's neck in return. "We're going to go wherever you want. Whatever it is you need to do, we'll go do it. No matter how long it takes." Toothless looked at him intently, as if asking if he were sure, ears already starting to straighten up. "You bet, buddy. You lead the way. We're a team. Always." With a snort of approval, Toothless unfurled his wings and gave them a snap to announce his readiness. With a smile, Hiccup jumped on, secured his foot in the steering mechanism, and latched the harness to the saddle.

He took a moment to observe the village below. The sun was full in the east, the day officially begun. Dragons were already flying around, some with riders, some without. The younger generation without fail had adopted dragons as suitable transportation, but the older Vikings were far more reluctant to hit the skies; they had as a whole put aside the old antipathy and even adapted to the dragons' usefulness in performing more difficult tasks – some even as companions – but you'd be hard-pressed to find a Viking over twenty riding one. Hiccup's eyes fell on Astrid's house. He could see her Nadder and a couple of Gronckles fighting over their fish basket, but no sign of Astrid or her family. Hiccup sighed; he really should tell her – or even his father – what he was planning, but honestly he had no idea what it was they were doing, or even how to explain it. Beneath him, Toothless snorted restlessly and pawed at the ground. "Ok, bud, time to fly!"

Toothless ascended effortlessly, and Hiccup could feel a ripple of excitement along the dragon's flank at the new adventure. The pair took a quick low-flying pass over the village, earning some enthusiastic waves. Somewhere, an anxious voice called out, "Night Fury!" and then Toothless turned his head towards the southwest. Hiccup adjusted the fin accordingly, and soon they were soaring high over the clouds, the sun warming their backs.


	2. Chapter 2

6/5/10

_**A Place To Call Home**_

Summary: Something is wrong with Toothless and Hiccup is going to do whatever it takes to make it right.

Disclaimer: All rights to "How To Train Your Dragon" belong to DreamWorks and Cressida Cowell; I own nothing except an awesome Toothless plushie.

Chapter 2

It was a beautiful day for flying. Whenever they crossed paths with a flock of birds, Toothless honked at them excitedly in greeting, though the birds were less enthusiastic about the dragon's overture and noisily scattered to the winds. Hiccup just smiled and patted his friend's neck.

He'd lost track of how far they'd flown. Certainly farther than they'd ever gone before. The sun had already hit its apex and was gaining on them as they veered westward. There was little to see below but clear blue water; sometimes he caught glimpses of schools of fish or other animals breaking the surface. Even the birds had become scarce. Soon though, he felt Toothless trying to descend, and adjusted accordingly. Then he spotted the island ahead, not very big, maybe a third the size of Berk. They were approaching a sheer cliff face, which dropped off sharply to a sandy beach. The north side of the beach gave way to a copse of trees that seemed to circle the rest of the island where it presumably turned into a thick forest. Squinting, Hiccup noticed several large black birds perched on the cliff and sitting on the beach. As they quickly approached Toothless let out a series of cries Hiccup had never heard before and he looked as his friend in question before glancing up when he realized the birds were answering back in kind…except they weren't birds.

Hiccup's eyes widened in disbelief as he saw more than a dozen Night Furies had risen into the air and circled them like a phalanx. Several got close enough to touch Toothless on the nose in greeting. Others eyed Hiccup suspiciously, more than one baring very large, very sharp teeth. Most had a grizzled appearance: ripped ears, deep scars along their faces or flanks, one even had a rather large chunk of its wing missing, which it had to keep compensating for. Hiccup just smiled nervously and gave a weak wave. "I really hope you know our welcoming committee," he said through clenched teeth. As the large group touched down in perfect sync on the beach Hiccup noticed that Toothless was a bit smaller than these Night Furies and it occurred to him that maybe his friend was just a teenager like he was.

Hiccup was uncertain what he should do. Most of the dragons were focused on Toothless, but some hadn't let him out of their sight. Was Toothless able to convey to them that he hadn't brought the scrawny human as a snack to share? Taking a deep breath, he released his safety line and slowly slid to the ground, but kept an arm on Toothless if only for a feeling of security. For his part the dragon was shaking his head and grunting emphatically. Finally he turned his head to the side and snorted in Hiccup's ear, which made Hiccup laugh and he scratched Toothless behind the ears in return. Seeing this, most of the other dragons seemed to relax, many even sat back on their tails like he's seen Toothless do so many times.

"Um, hi," he said hesitantly. Several dragons tensed up again. "I know this is a little weird for all of us. My name is Hiccup. And you obviously know this big guy." Amber eyes blinked back at him. Hiccup wondered if they'd even seen a human before. "You must have missed him very much. That's my fault really, which I'm very sorry for." With a grimace he gestured to Toothless's tail. Some of the closer dragons investigated the foreign tail fin, snorting in displeasure.

The group in front of him parted suddenly, and a lone Night Fury, small and unblemished, stalked quickly towards them. It stopped in front of Toothless and sniffed his face all over, and then the two dragons gave a happy cry and began nuzzling each other's necks, purring happily. "Wow," Hiccup whispered. The new dragon's eyes snapped to him and the happy look dissolved into gnashing teeth and cruelly slit eyes as it leapt on him growling, much like Toothless did upon their first meeting. The effect was no less terrifying in rerun. Hiccup tried to slip out of the dragon's grasp, but it pushed him into the sand heavily, hot, putrid breath blowing in his face. Toothless became agitated and danced around the dragon crying out in protest, though with no sign of the aggression he'd shown towards other dragons in the past that had crossed him. He placed his head beneath the other dragon's chin and lifted gently. It didn't resist and allowed itself to be pried off the young man, though it still looked at Hiccup with malice.

Hiccup couldn't keep the big grin off his face as he stood up and brushed the sand off. He recalled the first time Astrid had stumbled upon them five years ago. She was as equally hostile towards Toothless, at least at first. "Is this your girlfriend, bud?" he asked quietly. "Like Astrid is for me?" Satisfied that he'd pacified the other dragon sufficiently, Toothless turned towards Hiccup, blinked and tilted his head in the other dragon's direction. Then he smiled, or gave the Toothless version of a smile. "Well, that explains a lot. I guess we both like tough women." He dropped a wink at his friend.

Toothless gazed at him happily then suddenly gave a shriek of surprise. He turned his head to see the female had taken the artificial tailfin in her mouth and was trying to pull it off. Hiccup could only gaze in wonder as the two dragons began a comical version of "chase your tail" as Toothless ran in circles trying to free his tail bawling in distress while she followed along with it firmly clamped in her mouth. Hiccup finally succumbed to giggles as Toothless rolled helplessly onto his back and as a last resort started smacking her with his wings. "Hopeless," Hiccup muttered and he started walking towards them. He found the sand was unforgiving of his metal leg and the effort had him panting by the time he'd traversed only a small portion of the beach.

When he reached the two dragons, he held his hands out in a gesture, he hoped, of peace-making. The female eyed him suspiciously, but the fin remained firm in her mouth, which was unfortunately still attached to Toothless's tail. "Here, if you'll just let me…" he said to her and slowly reached for the bottom buckle. She growled in her throat but made no further moves. Once released the top loop slipped easily off the tip of his tail and the female stepped back several steps to regain her equilibrium, the red fin hanging comically from her mouth. Toothless rolled over back onto his feet and shook himself all over to remove the sand from beneath his scales and in the saddle's straps. Now that he was upright, Hiccup removed the saddle quickly, and tucked it under his arm. "There you go, good as new."

Toothless seemed conflicted. He glanced back between Hiccup and his mate, unsure of what he should do next. "Go on, buddy," Hiccup said waving him on. "You can go play. I'll be fine here," he insisted with more confidence than he felt. Toothless gave him one last look, as if to say thanks, and then trotted over to the female. Her nostrils flared as she looked at Hiccup before walking towards him and dropping the fin at his feet. "Thanks," he said, self-consciously scratching his head. He waved to the ebony pair as they walked side by side, disappearing into the trees to the north. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do," he called out dryly, before his shoulders drooped with a sigh.

Hiccup shivered as he realized he was standing in the shade of the high cliff behind him as the sun was finishing its daily journey to the west. Glancing around, he noticed that most of the other Night Furies had disappeared, probably to higher ground or to hunt for the evening meal. The few that remained were watching him, tails swishing behind them thoughtfully.

He shrugged off the pack and his flying harness. His stump was already aching something fierce, and each step burned; he was sure that sand had gotten inside when he'd fallen down. But before he allowed himself the luxury of removing it, he stomped around and picked up an armload of driftwood, setting them in neat circle. Opening his pack, he pulled out a skin and spread it out on the sand. Then he reached in and pulled out the flint and tinder, which he used to set the wood aflame. It took several minutes of coaxing, but the fire was soon burning strong. By now the sea had darkened, and twilight was already visible on the eastern horizon.

He dropped down on the middle of the skin, and started unfastening the prosthetic leg, moaning in relief when his stump was finally freed. He made a great show of brushing off every speck of sand resentfully. The beach was a nice place to visit, but he'd rather die than live here. From his pack he pulled a second skin and wrapped it around himself for warmth. Finally he pulled out a small cloth-wrapped package, which he unwrapped and pulled out a strip of tough dried beef jerky about an inch wide and four inches long and bit off the end. It tasted like nothing more than salty leather, but his grumbling stomach welcomed it as eagerly as a full-course meal.

Sitting on the quiet beach, Hiccup watched the fire thoughtfully as he chewed slowly. If this was where Toothless came from, how did he get to the nest, which was nowhere nearby? He'd been away from his family for at least five years, probably longer, how could Hiccup ask him to leave them again?

The firelight danced in his eyes and the waves lapped against the sand like a lullaby. He swallowed the bite of jerky he had been working on as his eyes drooped tiredly. Without much more thought, he leaned to the side and rested his head on the pack, his right hand still holding the remaining jerky strips and drifted off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

6/5/10

_**A Place To Call Home**_

Summary: Something is wrong with Toothless and Hiccup is going to do whatever it takes to make it right.

Disclaimer: All rights to "How To Train Your Dragon" belong to DreamWorks and Cressida Cowell; I own nothing except an awesome Toothless plushie.

Chapter 3

"Hiccup! Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, open this door this instant! You don't think you can stand me up and get away with it do you?"

Stoick sighed to himself and set aside the leather pieces in his lap that he was putting together for a new pair of boots. The crackling fire had been his only company until the pounding on the door started. He heaved his large frame out of the chair with more grace than would be expected for a man his side and moved to the door.

"Hiccup, can you hear me in there?"

Stoick pulled open the door. "I believe the entire village can hear ya, lassie," he responded mildly. The blonde-haired young woman that stood before him was tall and proud, but her face cringed in embarrassment as she set eyes on him. Stoick liked the girl, in truth, though he was hard-pressed to understand what she saw in his son; he'd wisely kept those thoughts private.

"I apologize, sir, it's just Hiccup and I had plans this evening, and, well – "

"He's nowhere to be found?"

"Right," she said bitingly. "Do you know where he and that soot-covered dragon of his have gotten off to?" Her words hinted at the punishment that would be doled out once she found them. Stoick smiled inwardly.

"Well, I'm not exactly sure where they went, but his dragon has been off its feed recently, and I believe Hiccup got the crazy idea in his head to help him. They flew off early this morning and I haven't heard from them since."

Astrid's eyes widened. "But they've never been gone this long before."

"Aye," he answered quietly. He'd had one eye on the door since supper had come and gone without seeing the boy. Looking out at the night sky, he noticed the moon almost full in the sky.

"What if something happened to him?" Astrid asked, worry betraying her fierce stance.

"You know that dragon would never let anything happen to him."

"Then what if something happened to Toothless?" she asked quietly. Stoick had no answer. He tried not to think about the possibilities. He knew damned well that his son had been flying with the dragon since he was thirteen – he _trusted_ him, Thor damn it! – but that didn't stop the fear that Hiccup had gotten himself into a mess that Stoick couldn't clean up for him. "Sir," Astrid said, pulling him back from his thoughts, "with your permission, I know some of Hiccup's favorite places and routes. First thing in the morning, I'll set out and have a look around. Just in case."

"Aye. Thank you, Astrid."

"Good night, sir."

Closing the door, Stoick picked up an axe, which sat in the corner, and hefted it apprehensively. If only all problems could be solved with a well-placed axe to the forehead.

* * *

Something woke him up. He could tell right away that he hadn't slept long. The campfire had burned low, but was still giving off some light, and the moon was hanging full overhead. Dawn was still hours away. His stomach growled unhappily, but when he checked his hand he realized that it now only held an empty cloth. "Hmm," he muttered as he sat up. "Could have sworn I still had a whole…stack…of…" His voice trailed off as looked to his left and saw five pairs of large golden eyes regarding him from the sand a few feet away. Blinking to clear his vision, dark shapes began forming around the eyes. They were small, probably no bigger than a chicken, and as they watched him staring at them one became bold and skittered towards him, chortling excitedly. Its friends (siblings? cousins?) scooted after it. Soon five miniature Night Furies were crawling all over his lap and each other, chattering like old women. One of them rooted around his hand noisily, apparently looking for seconds.

Grinning, he chucked one under the chin. "I hope you guys at least enjoyed it." They were very young, maybe only a few days or weeks old. Small grunts and cries were emitted as they wrestled with each other and climbed around Hiccup like they were exploring a newly discovered land. He was smiling as he watched their antics until a low growl issued from somewhere behind him and as a group the five youngsters skittered away, quickly engulfed in the darkness. Then Hiccup was alone again in the fading firelight. He'd pulled some old bread out of his pack to gnaw on, but he was sure it'd been in there for probably a month or more, and was, if you could believe it, less edible than the jerky. He was considering trying to get some more sleep when a movement to his left caught his attention.

He tensed up for an attack, but when a familiar face swam into view and gave him a friendly snort, he relaxed visibly. "Hey, buddy. Good to see you again." Toothless grunted excitedly and bobbed his head up and down. "What's the matter?"

The big dragon pulled back and then waited expectantly. Hiccup got the idea that Toothless wanted him to follow, so he slipped his prosthetic leg back on after first making sure all the sand had been brushed off, and then shakily got to his feet. Toothless came to his side in a flash and allowed Hiccup to lean on him and then walked towards the north end of the beach, where he pushed into the vegetation. Hiccup had to raise his hand to protect his face from the encroaching branches, but they did not have to walk very far in. They soon entered a small clearing. His eyes now adjusted to the dark, could pick up most of the surrounding area with the help of the moon. A pile of carcasses of small woodland creatures lay on the other end of the clearing, near the sleeping female Night Fury. Toothless left his side and trotted over to the pile, where he picked up a dead fox by its tail and returned to Hiccup holding the small body out to him. "Uh, thanks, bud, but I ate already," he said with a crooked smile. With a small nod of acknowledgment, Toothless leaned his head back and swallowed the small animal with a loud gulp. Then he moved to the female and nudged her with his nose. "Oh, don't bother her, she looks comfy," Hiccup said, waving his hands. "After all, some of us should get some sleep tonight."

Blinking her eyes, the dragon lifted her head and looked at Hiccup, but then her eyes went to Toothless and she gave an irritated grumble as he continued nosing around her insistently. Finally she swished her tail at him, which revealed three large white eggs beneath. Satisfied, Toothless sat back and then looked over at Hiccup, who walked forward slowly and then knelt beside his friend in awe. "Wow, Toothless. I – just – well, congratulations, buddy." Toothless sniffed at the eggs until his mate slapped him with her wing and resettled her tail around them. Then she gave them both a low hiss and laid her head back down. The two males didn't need to be told twice, and retreated to the southern end of the clearing, where Toothless settled down and rested his head on his forepaws. Hiccup dropped down beside him and leaned on his flank. As sleep began to take its hold, Hiccup couldn't help but thinking that while Toothless was about to become a father, he hadn't even gotten up the courage to ask Astrid to marry him. Someday soon, he thought as exhaustion finally took hold.


	4. Chapter 4

6/7/10

_**A Place To Call Home**_

Summary: Something is wrong with Toothless and Hiccup is going to do whatever it takes to make it right.

Disclaimer: All rights to "How To Train Your Dragon" belong to DreamWorks and Cressida Cowell; I own nothing except an awesome Toothless plushie.

Chapter 4

Hiccup groaned but didn't open his eyes. Not only was his entire left leg on fire, but there wasn't a part of his body that didn't ache save perhaps his left ear. He was curled up on the trampled underbrush, Toothless having slipped away sometime in the night with all the stealth his breed was known for. Cracking an eye, Hiccup saw that the dragon was lying nose to nose with his mate and they were finishing off the pile of carcasses for breakfast. Watching them eat caused his stomach to lurch painfully. This time when Toothless dropped a brindle-colored hare in his lap, Hiccup didn't refuse.

Bidding the two lovers farewell, he painfully staggered back to his campsite on the beach while gripping the hare's ears and gathering up an armload of firewood along the way. Once the fire was crackling again, he took his knife carefully skinned and gutted the small animal. Shortly he realized his new friends from the night before had returned, and all five stood a few feet away, eyes wide, nostrils flaring, and heads bobbing in curiosity. He tossed them the entrails and skins, which they began to tussle over while he put what was left of the body on a spit and held it over the fire.

As the fat sizzled and popped in the fire, Hiccup pondered what he was going to do and it weighed heavily on his heart. He'd never felt so much dread in his entire life, even when battling the massive queen of the dragons' nest. Every choice seemed to be the wrong one, and for one brief moment, he fervently wished his bola canon had missed the mark five years ago.

When he felt the hare was done, he pulled it out of the fire and gingerly plucked at the meat until he had eaten his fill, though he did so with little enjoyment. The tiny Night Furies were the recipients of the remainder, though they demonstrated their disapproval of cooking perfectly good meat by tossing the bones around forcefully, tiny growls emitting from their throats. Finally Hiccup packed everything up and slipped on his riding harness, and then whistled for Toothless. He was beginning to think he'd have to hike back to their nest, when the large dragon came bounding out to him happily.

Hiccup smiled and scratched vigorously along the dragon's neck and chin. "Ok, bud, here's the plan: I have to get home. I'm sure Astrid and Dad are already plotting the multiple and painful ways they're planning on killing me upon my return. But when we get there I'll ask Astrid to fly back here with us, and then…and…" Hiccup couldn't even get the words out as his throat constricted and tears welled up in his eyes. _Ridiculous_, he thought as he swiped his hand across his eyes, _Viking's don't cry_. He coughed to cover up his discomfort and then grabbed the saddle, which he fastened quickly, followed by the tailfin. Hiccup could see the other dragons begin to congregate on the beach around them, and the female looked on in distress. She called to Toothless and pawed restlessly at the sand, but he just shook his head and bent his forepaws down to allow Hiccup to hop on easier.

"It's going to be ok," he called out to her. "I'll have him back before you know it."

* * *

They were getting close to home. The scenery was becoming familiar, and even Toothless noticed it, sniffing in the air, seemingly excited to return to Berk as well. Up ahead a flash of color caught Hiccup's attention and he squinted wondering if it was really what he thought it was. Hunching down he encouraged Toothless to accelerate towards it, and soon Hiccup was positive he'd recognized the familiar Deadly Nadder whose rider's long blond hair streamed out behind them. The wind whistling past his ears was deafening but he began to call out her name as the Night Fury easily gained on the other dragon.

Finally he could see her head twitch as if she'd heard something. "Astrid!" he called again, nearly on her tail.

Her head spun towards him, startled. "Hiccup! Where on earth have you been?" she asked, her face a mask of fear and rage. "I've spent all morning looking for you!"

The two dragons drew up close along side each other, gliding along in tandem out of long habit. "It's kind of a long story, and I'm really sorry I worried you, but I need to ask you to do something important for me."

Her jaw clenched. "I've been worried sick about you, got up before the sun even rose to start looking for you, and you just show up out of nowhere and start demanding favors?"

Impulsively he reached for her arm and pulled her to lean over gently as he met her half way and kissed her firmly. She tasted of the honey she liked to eat on bread for breakfast. The Nadder squawked in irritation as her weight shifted. When they parted, he asked, "Worried sick?"

She smiled ruefully and trailed a hand through his unkempt hair. "Yeah. Your dad, too," she said in a much softer tone. Searching his face, she asked earnestly, "What have you been doing?"

Hiccup swallowed hard. "I found his home. It's an island about a day's journey back that way. His whole family is there, and," he couldn't help grinning, "he's going to be a father."

Astrid gasped at the news. "I can't believe it."

"I don't know what happened, how he got stuck in the nest, but this is where he belongs. And…and that's where I'm going to take him." He could see the dragon regarding him questioningly. "And that's where you come in," he told Astrid. "If we leave now, it'll be dark by the time we get there, but we can camp on the beach and head back first thing in the morning."

"Hiccup," she whispered, shaking her head. "You can't mean it."

"I do. Please help me."

"You've been gone over a day and a half and your dad is about frantic-" Hiccup grimaced at her to indicate his disbelief, "-and now you want me to take off without word overnight? My mother will have your head on a pike! Look, you're a mess. Just come back to the village and get some rest, and we can talk about it later."

Hiccup shook his head emphatically. "It's got to be now, Astrid. If I wait, I don't think I'll have the courage to do it. Please, I'm begging you here. I need you. I can't this alone."

She glanced down at Toothless. "What about him? Who's going to take care of him?"

"His family will. And…and," he gulped hard, "I'll go back and visit him when I can so he can fly." She started to say something else, and he cut her off. "Please! Astrid!" He gripped her hand desperately. "This is hard enough for me as it is." He felt the tears again, but willed them back.

"Ok," she whispered. "Let's go."

* * *

They spent the next several hours in silence. Occasionally Astrid looked over at Hiccup sadly, silently willing him to change his mind. She couldn't believe this was the only option, couldn't believe Hiccup would let his dragon go so easily. But it wasn't done easily, she told herself. The pain on his face was almost too much to bear.

The sun had disappeared and the first stars were showing in the dark blue early evening sky. The air was much cooler, even for spring, and she pulled her coat together.

The Night Fury and his rider soon veered downwards, and she urged the Deadly Nadder to follow them, until they had set down gently on the sandy beach. Even after Hiccup had told her, Astrid was amazed to see all the black dragons swooping in to meet them. She even giggled to see a pack of babies scurry over to Hiccup as soon as his feet hit the sand, which he bent down to greet. Dismounting, she walked to him, smiling. "Are these…?"

"Huh? Oh, no, they were here before we got here. His are just eggs at the moment." He grinned at her crookedly, though it never reached his eyes.

Astrid could see some of the Night Furies were anxious by her presence, and it occurred to her there was enough combined firepower to reduce them to nothing more than the sand they were standing on. "Is it going to be ok, us staying here?"

"Yeah, they'll calm down. I don't think they've even seen a human before. They're just curious. Though," he glanced over his shoulder, "we may want to keep the Nadder tied up down here. Don't want him getting into any trouble."

Astrid nodded, and they both went about removing the dragons' saddles, as if it were a regular day and they had just returned home from a flight around the island. She couldn't help but notice the slump in his shoulders as he slipped the red tailfin off. "Ok, bud, you're on your own now," he said, slapping the dragon's back. Toothless seemed confused and sniffed Hiccup's face and neck. "It's ok," she heard Hiccup say in a raspy voice. "We'll be here in the morning for a proper goodbye. Just…just go find your girl. I'm sure she misses you." With a low whine, Toothless slowly turned and walked into the crowd of dragons.

While Hiccup made sure her dragon was tethered securely, Astrid laid out the skins from his pack and started a fire, and then they both waded out into the surf and fished up enough supper for both of them and the Nadder. After eating, they snuggled under the skins, and she laughed as he told her about Toothless's mate trying to rip his tailfin off and then about the babies stealing his jerky while he slept. "Serves me right, not packing it back up," he finished, but she could tell he was smiling.

They fell into a companionable silence for a while gazing up at the stars, and then Hiccup shifted uncomfortably, before starting to speak. "Astrid, I, um, I've been thinking, and, well, we've been together for a while now, as a couple I mean. Heck, you've even let me hold your hand in public for two years. So, like I said, I was thinking, you know, Toothless is even making a family, so maybewecouldgetmarried?"

Astrid frowned. Was he…? "Were you just proposing to me?"

"Yeah," he answered weakly.

"Just because you've been thinking about your dragon?"

"Uh, no, I've been thinking about it since we were five."

Astrid couldn't help but smile. But that didn't stop her elbow from finding the tender spot beneath his ribs causing him to wheeze painfully. This was the sort of casual thoughtless proposal she would have expected from Snotlout or Tuffnut, but Hiccup? She'd come to expect so much more from him. "_That_ was for the lamest marriage proposal ever!"

"Astrid!" he groaned. "I thought you'd grown out of that!"

She rolled over so that her face was just above his and laid her hand gently on his cheek, whispering, "And _this_ is for the rest of our lives." She dipped her head and found his mouth with hers, giving it her full attention as she slipped her leg over his. He groaned again, but this time it wasn't out of pain. His arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her close, fingers searching for her bare skin. There had been plenty of kissing before, but not this urgent, and Astrid was certain they were going to get a jump start on the wedding night, when he suddenly placed a hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her off.

Confused and slightly mussed, she asked, "You don't want to?"

The firelight emphasized the tension in his face as he answered hoarsely, "More than Gobber wants his ale."

"Then what is it?"

He pursed his lips and shook his head. "We're lying here on a strange island surrounded by wild Night Furies. And tomorrow I have to say goodbye to my best friend. It just doesn't feel like the right time."

She looked down at him, her heart aching for him, and said, "I understand." Then she settled back into the crook of his arm, head on his shoulder, and they held each other.

A long time had passed and she thought he must have fallen asleep, when he said quietly, "Tell me I'm doing the right thing."

She took a deep breath. "I can't, I don't think you are." He just pulled her tighter, and soon they drifted off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

6/12/10

_**A Place To Call Home**_

Summary: Something is wrong with Toothless and Hiccup is going to do whatever it takes to make it right.

Disclaimer: All rights to "How To Train Your Dragon" belong to DreamWorks and Cressida Cowell; I own nothing except an awesome Toothless plushie.

Chapter 5

Something bit her nose. Instinctively she swatted it away, which only earned her a disgruntled mumble and flapping of wings. Opening her eyes, Astrid was staring directly into large serpentine eyes regarding her shrewdly before the little beast decided to try her nose again. "Hey," she said, her voice cracking from disuse. "I am not breakfast!"

A chuckle erupted behind her, and she turned to see Hiccup already sitting at the fire, cooking up a pair of fish. "What little pests," she said to his back as her attacker joined his cohorts who had surrounding Hiccup. "Don't their parents feed them?"

"Probably," Hiccup said noncommittally as he tossed them the fish guts.

"How long have you been up?" she asked groggily, throwing the skin off and running her fingers over her braid to try and tamp down some of the hairs that had escaped over night.

He just shrugged. "Dunno. Before sunup."

She looked around. Most of the brood was perched on the cliff above them, but three sat on the beach some distance away, watching them carefully. She sat up next to Hiccup and put her arm around him, laying her chin on his shoulder. "You don't have to go through with this, you know," she whispered softly.

"Yeah, I do," he answered.

"Well, I could just knock you out and take him home myself."

"You wouldn't."

"I should."

He turned his head towards her, no humor visible in his face. "You won't." She sighed in defeat as he handed her one of the spits. "Here, specialty of the house."

Breakfast eaten, they started to pack up. Hiccup carefully rolled up the saddle, the tailfin, and his harness together tightly, and looped two long straps of leather to each end. He hefted it up and slipped the loops onto his shoulders so it hung just beneath his backpack. Astrid's Nadder was saddled and ready to go. Hiccup took a deep breath and let out a sharp whistle. Several of the Night Furies on the cliff took flight and began circling over head. From the woods, Toothless came bounding out and happily stood before Hiccup, greeting him with enthusiastic chuffs and head butts.

"This is it, buddy," Hiccup said, rubbing the dragon's forehead. "I'd love to stay here with you, not that this isn't a nice island or anything, but I need to get back home." He nodded over his shoulder. "Astrid and I are going to get married…we're going to make our own eggs," he said with a small smile. Toothless focused his attention on the roll on Hiccup's back, sniffing and poking at it. "Not this time. You stay here; you have a lot of catching up to do. They'll take good care of you, I know it. And I'll…I'll," he coughed. "I'll be back to fly with you later. You probably won't even know I'm gone."

Toothless was becoming anxious. He began keening loudly and flapping his wings as Hiccup backed towards Astrid, which caused the other Night Furies to grow uneasy. "Mount up," he called over his shoulder. Dragons circled overhead, calling in answer to Toothless' cries.

"Hiccup," she pleaded with him, feeling a sob well up in her throat. "This isn't right."

"Now!" he said sharply, continuing to back away from his dragon. "It's going to be ok, Toothless. I…I'm going to miss you more than you'll know, but I have to go." As he reached the Nadder and jumped on behind Astrid, Toothless reared up on his back legs, flapping his wings loudly, and released a deafening roar. "Go!" Hiccup said urgently. "Please, just go."

Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and she couldn't take her eyes off the wretched dragon as she lightly tapped her heals against the Nadder's flank to encourage it to take off. The Nadder was trembling beneath her, eyes wide as they watched the black dragons overhead. They left the ground and soon found themselves amidst the circling Night Furies, but none of them made any threatening maneuvers. Below Toothless roared again, and then let loose a volley of white hot fire, which exploded above his head. In one last effort he launched himself at them getting close enough that Astrid could have nearly reach out and touch him, but almost immediately his body rocked out of control and he fell backwards, landing hard on the ground with an agonizing howl. Astrid finally turned her head away unable to witness anymore and turned them towards home.

Hiccup had wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, and was pressing his face against her neck. She reached up and laid her hand on his head in comfort as she felt him tremble against her back.

* * *

The Nadder set down gently in front of his shelter and gave a quick shake of relief. Astrid and Hiccup slipped to the ground with matching groans from stiff backs. After removing the saddle, the bright blue dragon settled down in his stall, and immediately started preening as Astrid fetched him a bucket of fish. Two Gronckles appeared from the yard, sniffing for a possible treat, but the Nadder scattered them with a hiss.

Astrid's tears had finally stopped several hours into the journey home, but she still had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach, could almost hear Toothless' pained cries. She looked into Hiccup's face, and guessed he must have been even more haunted.

"Well, I should probably get going," he said to her quietly. "Thanks for…just thanks."

From the house a voice yelled out, "Astrid! Is that you? Where in Odin's name have you been!"

"In a minute, Mama!" she called over her shoulder. To Hiccup she asked, "Do you want to come over for dinner tonight?"

"Were you with that boy all night? He may be the chief's son, but there's still something not right about him! Why can't you be with that nice Snotlout boy?"

Astrid grimaced and Hiccup said, "Yeeeah, sounds like a pleasant dining experience."

"You know she doesn't mean it. It'll be fine. Please?"

He grasped her hand and kissed her lightly on the cheek. "Any other night, a pack of wild trolls couldn't keep me away. But tonight I really need to be alone."

"Are you sure?" He just nodded and started walking backwards slowly, their hands still clasped until his fingertips finally slipped from hers. "We're still getting married, right?" she asked when he finally reached the path.

He pointed at her, saying in a serious tone. "You just try getting out of it. Kissing under the stars on a strange island? That's a legally binding contract. There would be dire consequences for breaking it."

Astrid giggled weakly and waved at him. Hiccup winked at her before turning towards his home. Her smile faded as she looked towards the horizon. Somewhere out there was a dragon who couldn't fly, who was sad and confused why his rider had left him. "Forgive me, Toothless," she whispered.

"Astrid! "

"Coming, Mama."


	6. Chapter 6

6/12/10

_**A Place To Call Home**_

Summary: Something is wrong with Toothless and Hiccup is going to do whatever it takes to make it right.

Disclaimer: All rights to "How To Train Your Dragon" belong to DreamWorks and Cressida Cowell; I own nothing except an awesome Toothless plushie.

Chapter 6

Stoick was speaking with Gobber in front of the forge when he caught the familiar sight of dark auburn hair in the distance heading towards his house, though there was a disturbing lack of black dragon scale to accompany it. "He's back," he told his friend with a frown.

"Well Odin's teeth, where's he been?" the blacksmith asked. Gobber gestured behind him with the hammer that was currently attached to his arm. "I've got a stack of axes that need sharpenin' and five orders of dragon saddles to be made. If the boy's gonna disappear for two days, he needs t' warn a man."

"I'm going to find out."

He had to brush off several villagers that tried asking him questions as he stomped towards the house. Once inside, he noticed the bundled saddle with the end of the crimson tailfin jutting out the end sitting in the middle of the floor where it had been dropped absently. The boy was standing in front of the fire, leaning against the mantle. "Welcome back, son," Stoick said quietly.

"Hi, Dad," Hiccup responded without looking at him.

"You want to tell me what's going on?"

"Not really."

"Hiccup, where's your dragon?"

The boy didn't answer, just kept looking at the fire. Finally he said, "I've got some good news: Astrid has agreed to marry me." This time he did turn to his father, a lopsided grin on his face.

Stoick was momentarily distracted by the announcement. "That's wonderful, Hiccup." He stepped over and clapped a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Congratulations, son."

"Yeah," Hiccup responded with far less enthusiasm than the pronouncement should have produced. "Maybe you'll get a grandson that you can finally be proud of," he said with uncharacteristic bitterness.

"Hiccup," Stoick said, slowly pulling back his hand in confusion. "You know I've always been…well, mostly been proud of you."

"I'm sorry, Dad," Hiccup said, shaking his head. "I'm just tired." He moved to the stairs.

"Where's Toothless?"

At mention of the name, the younger Viking's shoulders drooped and his head bent forward. "He's home, where he belongs."

"You're not making any sense, Hiccup. This is his home."

The boy just shook his head. "No. He's with his family, with other Night Furies, where he should have been all along."

"You just left him someplace? That's what he wanted?" Stoick could not imagine the ebony dragon willingly left Hiccup's side.

Hiccup rounded on him. "It's not about what I – what _he_ wants, it's about what he needs! Like you said, he can't choose, so I had to choose for him." He rubbed his forehead with a pained expression.

"What have you done, boy?"

"What I had to. I...I just wanted to do the right thing for him. If…if I thought about myself, it just wouldn't be right. He's not a pet, he's a dragon!"

"Hiccup, how is he going to fly without you? Did you think about that? Your responsibility to him?"

The boy averted his eyes. "I'll go back to visit him. We'll go flying then," he said dully, and began to climb the steps to his room.

Stoick wanted to reach out to the boy, but could tell he was exhausted, and that no further conversation was going to help the situation. After Hiccup had disappeared into the loft, Stoick sat down heavily. In his eighteen years, Hiccup had been known to stretch the truth, embellish facts, and certainly indulge in flights of fancy, but he had never – not once – told a blatant lie to his father before, and yet Stoick knew without a doubt that's what he had just done. And what made Stoick's heart even heavier was the certainty that Hiccup had been lying to himself, that there would be excuse after excuse, until he had finally convinced himself that the dragon didn't want or need him anymore. _This is a mess_, Stoic thought.

But he didn't clean up his son's messes anymore. No, Hiccup was almost a man, ready to start a family of his own, in line to be chief some day; certainly he should be trusted to make his own decisions, as foolhardy as they may seem.

When the dinner bell rang over the great hall, Stoick called up the stairs, but there was no answer. With a sigh, he climbed the stairs and looked into the boy's room. He was startled to see his son not so much laying in bed, but grappling with it. The bedcovers had been kicked askew and he gripped the mattress tightly. The look on his face, even in sleep, was full of dark emotions instead of resting peacefully. It was as if his son had fought a great battle to earn his meager rest.

Head bowed, Stoick returned downstairs. He leaned against the hearth, much like Hiccup had earlier, and stared into the fire. His thoughts turned to his beautiful wife so many years ago, finally recovered but still weakened from her long illness, spending hours at this hearth preparing enormous meals. She had thrown herself into her wifely duties wholeheartedly, intent on proving herself a capable and loving wife even as the work took its toll on her, and it was she who had insisted on giving him a son and heir without delay. Her joy at carrying their child was palatable, and Stoick smiled to remember her radiant face as she stood before him, round and beautiful. But when the child came it exacted a great price, and even as she helped the new life greet the world, her own had slipped away.

Stoick had been devastated. Their marriage had not even lasted a year. A deep part of him longed to join her on the funeral pyre, but then he'd heard the crying babe and took it into his arms: his son, who his wife had sacrificed so much to give him. He would honor that sacrifice to the very end. He barely let the child out of his arms for the next year, except to allow the wet nurse to feed him. In later years, he would fleetingly wonder if he had been the cause of the boy's lack of development.

Life with Hiccup certainly hadn't been easy; in fact it had been downright trying at times. But this was his son, who he had sworn to protect at all costs. Even from himself. The boy was different with that dragon, prouder, confident, and there was surprisingly less destruction. Stoick pushed away from the hearth and his eyes fell on the riding equipment still lying in the middle of the floor. With no further thought, Stoick grabbed the roll and marched out of the house.

It was late in Berk, and many homes already had their lights out. Unfortunately the Hofferson residence was one of those. Without hesitation he raised a beefy fist and pounded on the door. A light flickered into existence in the window and he could hear muttering shortly before the door opened and the squat blonde woman that opened the door squinted up at him with derision. "Who's there!"

"It's me, Gerta," he responded.

"Stoick? What in Odin's name are you doing pounding on my door at this hour? Perhaps you've come to apologize for your son's flouting of propriety and taking off with my girl, ruining her!"

"Och, woman, she's not ruined. The boy worships her, he'd never do anything improper to her. Besides they'll be getting married soon enough anyway."

"Oh yes! Asking my Astrid to wed without so much as a by-your-leave! Arrangements need to be made, prices need to be set…"

"Enough! This isn't the old world. But if it will make you feel better, I'll provide the house, you furnish it. There, the contract is made and they can be married proper. Now I don't have time for this, I need to speak to Astrid right away. It's very important."

"Now see here! You can't just come knocking in the middle of the night and drag my girl out of bed! It just isn't done."

"It's very important," he repeated slowly.

She huffed, and then said, "If you weren't the chief…"

The ginger whiskers danced on his face as he smiled wide and said, "Good thing I am the chief."

Mrs. Hofferson huffed once more and then flounced to the back of the house. He heard her low chattering voice, and then Astrid cried out, "What!" She emerged from the back room on a run, clutching her dressing gown at the chest, bare feet slapping on the cold wood floor. "It's Hiccup!" she said to him breathlessly. "I knew something was wrong. What happened? Is he all right?"

"Now, now, lassie," he said trying to calm her down. "Hiccup is fine. He's sleeping right now. But…" He took a deep breath. "I need to ask you to do something very important."

Astrid looked at him for a moment, and then noticed the bundle in his hands, and her eyes widened in understanding. "Five minutes!" she said holding her hand out and moving back to her room. "I'll be five minutes, don't go anywhere!"

"Astrid! Astrid! What are you doing?" her mother screeched.

"Mama, I can't really explain right now, but I need to go. I'll be back late, don't worry about me."

"Go? Go! You can't just run out in the middle of the night to Odin-knows-where."

"Mama, I helped kill the great dragon when I was thirteen!"

"Yes, but you were just a child then. You're a young woman now. You need to start acting like it."

Stoick saw Astrid emerge fully dressed and quickly braiding her hair over her shoulder as she walked towards him. "I will later, Mama," she said looking at Stoick. "This is important."


	7. Chapter 7

6/15/10

_**A Place To Call Home**_

Summary: Something is wrong with Toothless and Hiccup is going to do whatever it takes to make it right.

Disclaimer: All rights to "How To Train Your Dragon" belong to DreamWorks and Cressida Cowell; I own nothing except an awesome Toothless plushie.

Chapter 7

"Dragon!" Stoick bellowed testily upon landing on the small island. "Show yourself, you great devil!" He was irritated from the long flight, the first half of which he had spent trying to keep down last evening's meal, and the second half trying to get the blue dragon's back spike out of his ass cheek. He honestly couldn't see the attraction to flying through the air. If Great Father Odin had wanted them to fly he would have made them birds.

The flock of Night Furies surrounding them took exception to the large man and made shrieks of protest, flapping their wide leathery wings. Astrid placed a delicate hand on his arm, and cleared her throat. "Sir, it might a good idea to act more…tactfully." She gave him a hopeful smile.

The Viking chief looked at her, brows furrowed. Tact? With a dragon? But he had to remember that she, and the other village youth, knew much more about the beasts than he did. It was a hard concession to make for a Viking of his years, but one did not lead an entire village without some consideration to other viewpoints. And he was here for Hiccup; that was the most important thing. The leather straps of the saddle groaned in his hands as he gripped the bundle tightly.

He started again, raising his voice to be heard, but keeping the vitriol out of it. "Toothless. I need to speak with you." Astrid smiled up happily at him, though he felt foolish at the mere thought of having a conversation with a dragon. "Please," he added while looking at his future daughter-in-law. She nodded in approval.

Several moments marched on as they waited anxiously. "Maybe he won't come," Stoick said, trying to keep the regret out of his voice. "What Hiccup did, it may have broken him. It may be too late."

"No," she said a little too quickly, as if perhaps she were ashamed of having the same thoughts. Astrid had told him about leaving Toothless on the island, about how the dragon had been driven half mad by the abandonment. Having known the no-nonsense girl all her life, Stoick was certain there was no exaggeration in her description, and the catch in her voice spoke volumes about her own feelings of guilt over the situation. "He'll come. He has to." She put her fingers in the corners of her mouth and let out a sharp whistle. "Toothless! Please! He didn't mean it, I swear!"

Their attention was drawn by a commotion, and they shortly realized that a Night Fury was trying desperately to walk to them, while another held on to its tail, wings flapping to gain purchase. "Oh my," he heard Astrid gasp at his elbow. "That must be his mate. Hiccup said she was, um…Viking-like."

Stoick could only chuckle. Toothless' eyes were wide and focused on them as he dragged the smaller female along in his wake. Finally, grown tired of the effort, he stopped and gave a frustrated roar over his shoulder at her. Blinking in affront, the female released her hold and gave a squawk of consternation in return, but Toothless had already taken advantage of the freedom and bounded to them quickly He sniffed excitedly at Stoick and Astrid, and then at the Nadder, finally sniffing the sand around them, searchingly.

"He's not here," Stoick said softly, his heart filling with inexplicable compassion for the beast, and the even more inexplicable look of disappointment on his face. Shaking his head at the mere thought, Stoick stepped forward, clutching the roll to his chest. "Toothless, I've come to take you home. What Hiccup did, was terrible, but it was done out of love, even if it was short-sighted and dim-witted." He held the bundle out. "He's miserable without you and, I believe…" he looked back at Astrid who gave him a nod of encouragement, "you belong with us, on Berk."

Toothless sat watching them, nostrils flaring. Then he glanced over his shoulder, towards his mate. She gave a soft bleat of sadness before turning and walking slowly back to the woods. Toothless stepped towards Stoick and took the crimson tailfin in his mouth, giving it quick tug. Both Vikings smiled in relief.

* * *

Hiccup woke up with a pounding headache and a dry mouth. Laying on his back staring at nothing, he listened. The house was empty, but the sounds of the village filtered in. He wanted to sleep more, but he knew he really needed to get out of bed. He hadn't been to the forge in two, three days? He'd lost track. His stomach groaned painfully as the dinner bell sounded from the great hall. Had he really slept through the whole day? Hiccup sighed in resignation.

Once dressed, he walked outside. The sun hung lazily over the western horizon, as if it were a small child trying to put off bed for as long as possible. With shoulders hunched, Hiccup strolled leisurely down the path, occasionally kicking a stone out of his way carelessly. He was vaguely aware of a crowd gathering in the village square, murmurs of surprise and gasps of astonishment reached his ears, but he paid them no attention. He was about to turn towards the great hall, when an excited voice cried out, "Night Fury!"

The young man's eyes snapped up. He realized that many people in the crowd were pointing up. Shading his eyes with his hand he followed their gestures, and his jaw nearly crashed to the ground as he saw the pair of dragons – one shimmering black and sporting a jaunty crimson tailfin, the other brilliant blue – gliding overhead. They banked hard over the sea before touching down in the square. Enthusiastic cheers erupted around him, but all Hiccup could see was…

"Toothless!" he cried and rushed to the dragon. He was overwhelmed by the force of emotion he felt at seeing his friend again, the feeling of a great weight being lifted from his heart. "Buddy," he sighed happily, pressing his forehead against the dragon's face. Toothless, equally happy to be reunited with his rider, returned the embrace with vigorous headbutts and snorts, while pawing at the ground excitedly. "I'm so happy to see you! And I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"As well you should be," a deep voice rumbled in his ear. Hiccup stepped back, confused momentarily, that the Night Fury had just spoken to him. Perhaps this was just a fevered dream after all? But Toothless merely regarded him as he always did with those over-large golden eyes and remained steadfastly silent. Hiccup nearly jumped out of his skin as a beefy hand landed heavily on his shoulder. The start made him lose his balance and his arms wind-milled out to try to regain his footing, but the hand caught his arm easily and righted him. "Easy there, son. What's gotten into you?"

His eyes followed the hand up its attached arm to see the familiar ginger beard and hard eyes of his father, who stood surrounded by villagers cheering the first successful dragon flight of their chieftain. "Dad?" he asked in confusion as he became aware of the riding harness his father was wearing, or to be more specific, stretching out beyond repair. "_Dad!_ You rode Toothless? Toothless, you let my dad ride you?"

The dragon chuffed noncommittally, as Stoick replied, "Eh, it was no big deal, once the beast learned who was in charge." A large tail, half black half red, swished up and swatted him in the back of the head. "Och! I'll rip the other one off, you devil!" Stoick growled, though Hiccup saw a gleam of humor in his green eyes. Toothless simply curled up on the ground as if to take an unconcerned nap.

Hiccup was again rethinking his dream theory, when a much sweeter voice called out his name. Craning his head around his father's ample mid-section he saw Astrid standing, smiling at him. "You did this?" he asked her.

She shrugged. "I helped. I owed it to him for not knocking you out when I should have."

"Hiccup," his father said, regaining his attention. "I understand why you did what you did, but there is an important lesson I want you to learn, especially if you're to become chief some day." Behind him Hiccup heard scoffs and snorts of derision, and Hiccup realized Snotlout and the twins must be close by. Ignoring them, Stoick continued. "It's important to make decisions with your head," he tapped Hiccup hard on the forehead causing his head to bob backwards, "but you also need to make them with your heart," and then he placed a palm on the young man's chest. "Never ignore your heart, that's where your power lies."

"Thanks, Dad," Hiccup said, as emotion welled up in his throat. He _had_ ignored his heart, because he didn't want to selfishly keep Toothless away from his home, but in the end, maybe he had ignored what Toothless really wanted as well.

Hiccup was already planning on getting Toothless out of his gear and feeding him a boat load of fish and maybe getting a bundle of that wild grass he liked so much in apology when his father's large arm hooked around his shoulder, roughly pulling him close with a grunt. He noticed that Stoick had done the same with Astrid in the other arm. "Now that everyone is gathered anyway, I have an announcement to make," the chief's voice echoed around the square. "Arrangements have been made and my son will be marrying Astrid Hofferson! In two week's time, on Frigga's-Day, we will have a wedding!" The crowd exploded into enthusiastic cheers, because there wasn't anything the residents of Berk liked more than an excuse to eat and drink. "Let the preparations begin!"

"Wait, what? Two weeks…but, Dad we just got engaged," Hiccup said feeling the color drain from his face. "I mean, really what's the rush?" A quick look to Astrid told him she was equally as surprised.

Stoick looked between the two of them. "But you still want to be married, don't you?"

"Sure, yeah…"

"Of course, absolutely…"

"Then there's no need to wait. Winter will be here soon enough." He leaned his head down and dropped his voice, and with a wide smile said, "Besides, I'm just dying to meet my grandchildren." He patted them both on their shoulders and then released them. "Oh! That reminds me, I still have the night shirt I wore on my wedding night. Worked like a charm, blessed by Freyja it is. I'm sure with a little alteration it will fit you just fine. I know exactly where it is." With a clap of his hands, Stoick turned and started walking away.

Hiccup felt his stomach flip flop. "Dad, no, no that is _so_ not necessary. Look, there are just some things that two men should not share." He glanced at Astrid and leaned over to give her a quick kiss on the check. "I'll see you later." Then he began hobbling as quickly as his legs could carry him after the larger Viking. "Dad. Dad! Wait! Really can we just talk reasonably about this?"

Toothless roused himself from his nap. He watched Hiccup for a moment before turning back to Astrid and placed his nostrils on her cheek where he'd seen Hiccup place his kiss, and blew a small puff of air out. She giggled in response, and then the dragon waddled happily after the two men. If any villagers happened to be watching, they would have given a double take, and then later, after four large stouts of ale, would swear the dragon was smiling.

-Fin


	8. Epilogue

6/15/10

_**A Place To Call Home**_

Summary: Something is wrong with Toothless and Hiccup is going to do whatever it takes to make it right.

Disclaimer: All rights to "How To Train Your Dragon" belong to DreamWorks and Cressida Cowell; I own nothing except an awesome Toothless plushie.

Epilogue

A sleek black dragon sails through the clouds. On his back are two humans and several bundles of supplies, though the cargo is of little concern to the Night Fury. He is simply content to feel the crisp fall air part for him, to hear it whistle in his ears. But he is getting closer: scent of the Brood tickles his nostrils causing his wings to pump harder and faster. Soft human hands on his neck directing him, but he needs no direction. Land looms ahead: land of his sires, land of his Life-mate. It is good.

The Night Fury touches down easily on the soft sand, calls happily to his Brood-mates that have come to greet. Some are fearful of the humans and he tries to calm them, project the energy of trust. The human male and female dismount and remove all bundles and boxes and the Night Fury shakes in anticipation. She's not on the beach yet, but he smells her, close, and the young ones!

The human male has removed the trappings on his back, made of the dead skins of animals, at first constricting but now they represent flight, and so are good; removing them means no flight, but they will return, soon, when it is time. Now the human is at his face making the mouth sounds and touching with his hands. While pleasant to listen to, the Night Fury can't understand the mouth sounds exactly, though some are becoming familiar, yet he usually has no problem understanding his human. It's not really the mouth sounds themselves, but how they're said and the look on the human's face, but the most important of all is the human's energy. All life is energy. The energy is almost – but not quite – a scent, and almost – but not quite – a taste. It is felt the way deep thunder is felt. Smaller creatures' energy is small, weak, easily ignored, but dragons' energy is strong and exhilarating.

Many years ago when the Night Fury had passed from youngling to adolescent, he had set out on the Great Journey that males make before their first mating season. Many seek out new Broods, but the Night Fury had already made his Life-bond and would return for their first coupling – or would have had he not encountered the strongest energy he'd ever known. It was red and intoxicating and frightening at the same time, and for many years the Night Fury was mesmerized by this energy to serve the Great Dragon that wielded it, so strong was it that it even overrode his urge to return to his Life-mate for coupling. For many years he served the queen and her endless appetites, until the night he suddenly found himself ensnared and plummeting to earth, suddenly broken and flightless.

Then the human had come to him, and he discovered a different kind of energy, as powerful as the Great Dragon's, but soft, yellow, warm, like the sun. The humans he'd felt before in service of the Great Dragon had all been hard and angry, black energy that knew no compromise. This human offered food and healing and companionship, and finally flight! They flew together as one, and their energies mingled and connected, and the Night Fury found himself as bound to the human as he was with his Life-mate. He drew strength from his Rider, and even when the other humans trapped and shackled him, forcing him close to the Great Dragon again, his Rider had come for him and together they had destroyed the Great Dragon as one.

Then they had returned to the land of the humans, which was good. Good food, good dragon energy, and good human energy, but still no Brood, and then the time of the Night Furies' mating had come upon again, and all his thoughts turned to returning to his Life-mate. Somehow his Rider had known it, felt it, as if reading the Night Fury's own energy, and had brought him back. There was great joy at seeing his Dam and his Sire again, and of course his Life-mate, and they created the eggs, and it was good.

But something had happened, and the human's energy had grown darker and confusing. The Night Fury had watched helplessly as the human flew off without him. Why? What had he done? It was incomprehensible and he had felt lost and alone, even among his Brood-mates. Then the human's sire had come carrying the trappings, this human whose energy had been the blackest of them all, his energy was now bright and welcoming, hoping. With his help the Night Fury had been reunited with his Rider.

Now they are back. The Night Fury takes a precautionary sniff, just to be sure, but the energy is again yellow, dazzling, and stronger than ever. The Night Fury casts an eye to the female human, his Rider's Life-mate, who is making a shelter further up the beach. They will stay for a while. This is good.

From the trees ahead, his Life-mate finally comes and the Night Fury can barely contain his excitement. She gives his Rider a growl of warning, and then they are together nuzzling and purring as if they'd never been apart. At her feet are the three offspring! He sniffs at them excitedly: two males and a female. They are small now, flightless, so delicate, but they are his.

Looking up he sees the human with lips parted, mouth wide and teeth in full view, though unlike other animals where it is a gesture of anger, this is happiness and peace. The Night Fury returns the gesture for he is happy as well. He will hunt with his Life-mate and feed their young and they will sleep under the stars and watch the sun come up. And when it comes time to return to the land of the humans that will be all right as well, because the Night Fury knows his Rider will bring him back often. Some day when the offspring are old enough to make the trip he may encourage them and their mother to follow, and they could start their own brood amongst the humans! But until then he will go wherever the human is, because that is home.

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_Many thanks to anyone who's stuck with this story to the end. And extra special gratitude goes to those that reviewed, you rock!_


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